Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 November 2026 (Android added)

The short version: TrueSteps counts your steps privately on your phone, on iPhone and on Android. There's no account and no GPS, and your step history stays on your device — we have no servers and never see it. The free app shows non-personalized ads via Google AdMob; we do not track you across apps (on iPhone we never request the IDFA or the App Tracking Transparency permission, and on Android the app does not use the advertising ID).

Who this applies to

This Privacy Policy describes how the TrueSteps apps for iPhone and Android ("TrueSteps," "the app," "we," "us") handle information. It applies to everyone who downloads and uses TrueSteps from the App Store or Google Play. Where Android differs, the section "On Android" below says so.

Information we collect

We require no account and operate no servers that receive your personal data. We do not collect your name, email, contacts, or precise location. Your step history is stored only on your device.

Specifically, TrueSteps does not collect:

Your name, email address, phone number, or contacts
Your precise location or GPS data
An account or login of any kind
A copy of your step history on our servers — because we have none

How the app uses your device

To do its job, TrueSteps uses certain parts of your iPhone. These are used only on-device, and the resulting data is never uploaded to us:

Motion & Fitness (CoreMotion) — to count your steps, distance, and floors directly on your device. We do not use GPS or location to count, and we request no location permission.
Notifications (optional) — if you allow them, to send goal reminders. This is entirely optional and off until you enable it.

You can change these at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Motion & Fitness, or under Settings → TrueSteps.

Where your data is stored

Your step history and settings are stored locally on your device, in the app's on-device database. We hold no copy. There is no cloud account and nothing is synced to a server we control.

Advertising

The free app displays ads through Google AdMob (Google LLC). We serve non-personalized ads only: we do not request the IDFA, we do not show the App Tracking Transparency prompt, and we do not build an advertising profile of you.

To deliver, measure, and protect ads from fraud, Google may process limited, non-identifying information (such as coarse / approximate region and ad-interaction data) and uses Apple's SKAdNetwork for privacy-preserving install measurement, as described in Google's policies.

A small banner appears on the Today tab and on some other screens, and it never covers your step count. There is no paid version and no in-app purchases.

In the EEA / UK we show a consent choice via Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) before any ad loads. You can learn more in Google's Privacy Policy and in "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services."

Third-party services

The only third parties involved are:

Google AdMob & Google UMP — for advertising and EEA/UK consent, as described above.
Apple — for App Store distribution and SKAdNetwork install measurement.
Google Play — for distribution of the Android app.

TrueSteps integrates no other analytics or tracking SDKs.

On Android

TrueSteps is also on Google Play, for Android 8.0 or later. It works the same way: no account, no GPS and no servers, and your step history and settings stay in the app's storage on your phone. The differences:

Steps — the Android app reads your phone's step sensor, using Android's Physical activity permission. It requests no location permission and does not use Health Connect.
Reminders — optional. If you turn them on, Android asks you for permission to send notifications.
Advertising — the same non-personalized Google AdMob ads, which never cover your step count. The Android app does not use your device's advertising ID. In the EEA and UK, Google's consent choice is shown before any ad loads.
Data — TrueSteps' Google Play data-safety section lists approximate location (derived from your IP address), device or other identifiers (not the advertising ID), app interactions and diagnostics as collected, for advertising, analytics, and fraud prevention, security and compliance. They are collected by the Google Mobile Ads SDK and go to Google, not to us, encrypted in transit. Your step history is not among them; it never leaves your phone.
Your choices — change the Physical activity and notification permissions in Android Settings → Apps → TrueSteps. The in-app Privacy panel lets you export or erase everything.

Children's privacy

TrueSteps does not collect personal data from anyone, including children, and the ads it shows are non-personalized. The app contains no account, no profile building, and no cross-app tracking.

Data security

Because your step history stays on your device, it is protected by your iPhone's own security — your passcode, Face ID / Touch ID, and iOS data protection — or, on Android, by your phone's screen lock and Android's app sandbox. We hold no copy of your data to secure or to lose.

Your choices

In the EEA / UK you can make and change your advertising consent via the in-app prompt (Google's User Messaging Platform). You can manage the Motion & Fitness permission, or turn off optional notifications, at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Motion & Fitness or under Settings → TrueSteps.

Changes to this policy

If we update this policy, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and post the new version at this address. Material changes will be reflected here before they take effect.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your privacy in TrueSteps? Email us at [email protected] and we'll get back to you.